Yarn cake holder



July 26, 1955 N. D. slGMAN YARN CAKE HOLDER Fiied March 8, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l n L ,.........,...........A f...........

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INVENTOR NORMAND. i/GMAN.

ATTORNEY July 26, 1955 N. D. slGMAN 2,713,979

YARN CAKE HOLDER Filed March 8, 1951 2 SheeiS-Sheet 2 INVENTOR NORMA/v D. J/GMA/v.

ATTORNEY YARN CAKE' HOLDER Norman D. Sigman, Bluiiy City, Tenn.

Application March 8, 1951", Serial No. 214,517

4 Claims. (Cl. 242-430)v This invention relates to improvements in devices for supporting packages such as cakes and the like of synthetic yarn or thread while said yarn or thread is being unwound therefrom onto spools or other collecting devices.

An object of this invention is to providev an improved device for supporting cakes of synthetic yarn or thread,` the device being constructed so that, the cake may be. easily located thereon.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved synthetic yarn cake holder consisting of a plurality of lingers that are tilted by spring action making it easy to locate the cake thereon, this spring action also functioning to press these lingers substantially uniform,- ly against the. hollow interior of the cake after the cake` is positioned thereon.

Another object of this invention is toprovide a device having a plurality of spring-urged lingers adapted for supporting a cake of yarn and maintaining the cake in properly shaped condition, during the unwinding of the thread therefrom. Still another object is to provide a yarn cake supporting device having a plurality of spring-urged fingers adapted to exert an outwardly directed pressure against the hollow interior of the cake either directly by the action of the ngers per se or by the outward transmission of such pressure through theY agency of a resilient sleeve placed within the cake so asin either case not only to support the cake but also to maintain it in proper shape, that is, free from creases or wrinkles, so that unwinding the yarn may proceed smoothly without jerking or plucking and consequent damage thereto.

A further object is to provide a cake supporting device having a pluralityof lingers with the springs adapted to cause these fingers to assume a position s o as to receive a cake of synthetic yarn or thread without adjust'- ment orV manipulation of the device and also to cause these lingers to exert an outwardly directed pressure against the interior walls of a cake of synthetic yarn or thread positioned on the device.

A still further object is to provide a device' of the character described which can be manufactured in large quantities from interchangeable parts so that large nurnbers of such devices can be readily assembled and main tained in operative. condition.

Further objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates from the follow-A ing specification, claims and drawing.

Synthetic yarn or thread mayV be produced by the States Patent O pot or can spinning process in the form of unsupported be unwound from the cake and made into packages suitable for shipment or for use in the conversion of the yarn or thread into fabrics or the like. The deformed or collapsed cakes must be prepared for the unwinding operation by restoring them to their original generally cylindrical form, and during the entire unwinding operation sutiicient force must be applied to the cakes to maintain the generally cylindrical form free of wrinkles and creases so as to avoid plucking or jerking during unwind.- ing with consequent damage to the yarn or thread, but at no time should the force applied to the cake be great enough to stretch or otherwise damage the yarn or thread.

In accordance with this invention a deformed or collapsed cake of synthetic yarn or thread is reshaped for the unwinding operation by inserting into the hollow interior of the cake a resilient sleeve of cylindrical shape having slidably overlapping edges that allow the sleeve to be manually compressed to a cylinder of smaller diameter so as to permit its insertion into the hollow cake. The sleeve upon being released, expands inside the cake and reshapes it. The cake thus reshaped and containing the sleeve, is placed upon the support and the yarn or thread is unwound without damage after the fabric wrapper is removed from the outside of the cake.

The support employed is adapted to receive the cake without any adjustments or manipulations by the operator. After the cake is positioned on the support it exerts a constant, radially directed pressure against the walls of the hollow interior of the cake during the unwinding of the latter in order to maintain the shape thereof until substantially all of the yarn has been removed. Such pressure emplilies the expanding and reshaping action of the above mentioned sleeve, the later serving as an intermediary for causing the expanding force to be uniformly exerted against the cake. The support also is capable of functioning in substantially similar fashion in cases where no sleeve is used, in which case the springurged lingers of the support act directly against the inside wall of the cake to maintain the same in properly shaped condition.

The support of the invention is therefore constituted as a device comprising a plurality of spring-urged lingers radially disposed about a central shaft. The springs serve to cause these lingers to assume a position adapted to receive the cake of synthetic yarn or thread readily and also as soon as the cake is in position, press the ingers against the inside of the sleeve or hollow of the cake to retain the cake on the support in the desired shape.

Further details of this invention will be set forth in the following specification and the drawing in which briefly:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of this device showing the pivoted fingers tilted toward the centrally positioned shaft;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. l;A

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail side view ofv one of the fingers;

Fig. 5 is a detail front view ofl one of the lingers;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the notched disk-shaped member employed for supporting the fingers;

Fig. 7 is a side View of the disk-shaped member shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of this device show'- ing a cake of yarn positioned thereon.

Referring in detail to the figures of the drawing, the device comprises a structure constituted of a plurality of spring-urged pivotably mounted cake supporting fingers 1 radially disposed aboutV a central shaft 10.

Each of these cake supporting lingers 1 is provided with a pin 2` that is frictionally retained in a hole formed:

therein as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. These pins 2 function to support the fingers 1 on the disk-shaped structure 3, shown in detail in Figs. 6 and 7, consisting of an upper disk 4 and a lower disk 5 suitably spaced to provide a groove 4a therebetween for receiving the pins 2. Suitable slots 6 are cut into both of the disks 4 and 5 for receiving the fingers 1. The embodiment of the device shown has five radially disposed cake supporting fingers 1 but a greater or lesser number may be used if desired, it being understood that at least three such fingers are required.

Coil springs 7 are placed in the lower disk 5 in the slots 6, suitably enlarged by the recesses or holes 8 which extend to the shaft 10. These springs 7 exert an outwardly v directed force against the cake supporting fingers 1 at points below the pins or pivots 2. The cake supporting fingers 1 are held in position in the slots 6 cut into the disk-shaped structure 3 against the action of the coil springs 7 by the removable pins 9 that are positioned in holes drilled through the disks 4 and 5 on each side of each of the slots 6 near the circumferences of these disks. These pins 9 are arranged so as to limit the outward movement of the pins or pivots 2 of the fingers 1.

The structure 3 is positioned on a central shaft 10 between the tubular members 13 and 13a. The stop disk 12 is positioned on the shaft 10 above the tubular member 13a and above the structure 3 for the purpose of limiting the tilting7 of the cake supporting fingers 1 toward the central shaft 10 as shown in Figs. l and 2.

The bottom of the tubular member 13 rests on the top of the disk 11 which is also supported on the shaft 10 and is of a sufficiently large diameter to extend beyond the fingers 1. This disk 11 rests upon a smaller disk 11a the bottom of which is provided with a small recess for receiving a spring fastener of arcuate configuration 11b which is lodged in the groove 11e cut into the shaft 10. This spring fastener 11b prevents the disks 11 and 11a from sliding down the shaft 10.

The upper end of the shaft 10 is of slightly reduced diameter and just below this portion of slightly reduced diameter are provided suitable threads 10a for receiving the threaded nut 14 which engages the top of the stop disk 12. The bottom of this stop disk 12 engages the top of the tubular member 13a and the bottom of this tubular member 13a engages the top of the disk-shaped structure 3. The bottom of the disk-shaped structure 3 engages the small washer 3a which is positioned on the top of the tubular member 13. The parts of this device are held in assembled relation on the shaft 10 by the spring device 11b that is lodged in the, groove 11c and the nut 14 that engages the threads 10a. In the assembled device the coil springs 7 by exerting an outwardly directed force against the cake supporting fingers 1 at points below the pins or pivots 2 cause the pivots to bear against the respective pins 9 and the cake supporting fingers 1 are caused to turn on their pivots until the upper inside edges of these fingers bear against the stop disk 12. The device now has generally the shape of a truncated cone, the upper diameter of which isV sufficiently less than the inside diameter of a cake of synthetic yarn or thread so that such a cake may be placed in position on the fingers 1 without the necessity of adjusting or otherwise manipulating the device.

When a cake of synthetic yarn or thread 15 containing a resilient sleeve 16 is thrust down on the device as shown in Fig. 8, the cake supporting fingers 1 are caused to turn on the pivots Z to assume the generally cylindrical structure shown there and the fingers 1 are forced inwardly by the cake so that the pivots 2 no longer bear against the pins 9. The coil springs 7 are now urging thermembers 1 outwardly against resilient sleeve 16 and cake 15 so as to apply a uniform force to the cake whereby to assure the absence of wrinkles and creases in said cake during the entire unwinding operation. The springs 7 are adapted to exert suicient force against the sleeve and cake to keep the latter fully opened and free from wrinkles or creases without stretching or otherwise damaging the yarn or thread.

In using the device the cake of yarn or thread which has been aftertreated and dried and which is still encased in the wrapper 17 and which may have become deformed during the aftertreatment is first reshaped to restore the cake to approximately the shape it had before the treatment. This is effected by inserting into the hollow interior of the cake the resilient sleeve 16 shown in section in Fig. 8. The sleeve is made of a springy material such as stainless metal or plastic and is formed into substantially cylindrical shape with loosely overlapping side edges. The sleeve may be compressed to a smaller cylindrical size sufcient to be inserted into the hollow interior of the cake and on being released in that position the sleeve will expand against the inside walls of the cake, restoring the latter to its original shape. The still wrapped cake, with the sleeve thus inserted is then placed on the yarn supporting device as previously described and the upper portion of the wrapper 17 which extends approximately half way down from the top over the outside of the cake is then tucked into position into the hollow upper portion of the insert sleeve and the lower portion of the wrapper is pulled down over the base disk or plate 11. The cake of yarn is now exposed and in supported position ready for unwinding. The spring-urged fingers 1 not only serve to hold the cake as a whole securely in place frictionally but also continue to exert a constant outwardly directed shape-maintaining force against the interior walls of the cake until the yarn or thread has been unwound. This force may be transmitted to the walls of the cake directly by the fingers 1 or, in the preferred method of using the device, through the resilient insert sleeve 16.

Interchangeable parts for the cake supporting device may be produced by mass production methods, thus facilitating the assembly and the maintenance of the device. The various parts may be rnade of any suitable constructional material, such as wood, stainless metal or plastic, but generally plastic will be preferred.

While I have described the preferred embodiment of this invention in detail, it is of course understood that I do not desire to limit this invention to the exact details described and illustrated except in so far as these may be defined by the claims.

What I claim is:

l. A device for supporting hollow cakes of processed synthetic yarn or thread while the yarn or thread is being unwound comprising a shaft, a plurality of fingers for supporting a cake of synthetic yarn, means for pivotally mounting said fingers around said shaft, said means comprising a disc positioned on said shaft, said disc having a radially extending groove formed therein, said disc having a plurality of slots cutting across said groove for receiving said fingers, pivot pins on said fingers loosely fitted into said groove so that said fingers are movable toward or away from said shaft in said slots, and means supported by said disc to limit the movement of said finger pivot pins away from said shaft, said fingers being disposed substantially equidistantly spaced around said shaft, an expansible sleeve adapted to be supported by said fingers inside of the cake of synthetic yarn, and spring means positioned between said shaft and said fingers for engaging each of said fingers on one side of said mounting means for tilting all of the corresponding ends of said fingers towards said shaft to facilitate placing the synthetic yarn cake and said expansible sleeve on said fingers and for pressing said fingers away from said shaft and to expand said expansible sleeve snugly into said cake of yarn.

2. A device for supporting hollow cakes of processed synthetic yarn or thread while the yarn or thread is being unwound, comprising a shaft, a plurality of supporting fingers for supporting a cake of synthetic yarn, mounting means for pivotally mounting said fingers around said shaft, said means comprising a disc positioned on said shaft, said disc having a radially extending groove formed therein, said disc having a plurality of slots cutting across said groove for receiving said fingers, pivot pins on said fingers loosely fitted into said groove so that said fingers are movable toward or away from said shaft in said slots, and means supported by lsaid disc to limit the movement of said finger pivot pins away from said shaft, said fingers being disposed substantially equidistantly spaced around said shaft, and spring means positioned between said `shaft and said fingers for engaging each of said fingers on one side of said mounting means for tilting all of the corresponding ends of said fingers towards said shaft to facilitate placing the synthetic yarn cake on said fingers and for pressing said ngers away from lsaid shaft toward the inner walls of said cake of yarn.

3. A device for supporting hollow cakes of processed synthetic yarn or thread while the yarn or thread is being unwound comprising a shaft, a plurality of supporting fingers for supporting a cake of synthetic yarn, mounting means for pivotally mounting said fingers around said shaft, said means comprising a disc positioned on said shaft, said disc having a radially extending groove formed therein, said disc having a plurality of slots cutting across said groove for receiving said fingers, pivot pins on said fingers loosely fitted into said groove so that said fingers are movable toward or away from said shaft in said slots, and means supported by said disc to limit the movement of said finger pivot pins away from said shaft, said fingers being disposed substantially equidistantly spaced around said shaft, an expansible sleeve adapted to be supported by said fingers inside of the cake of synthetic yarn, and coil springs positioned in radially extending holes formed in said disc between said shaft and said fingers for engaging each of said fingers on one side of said mounting means for tilting all of the corresponding ends of said fingers towards said shaft to facilitate placing the synthetic yarn cake and said expansible sleeve on said fingers and for pressing said fingers and said pivot pins thereof away from said shaft to expand said expansible sleeve snugly into said cake of yarn.

4. A device for supporting hollow cakes of processed synthetic yarn or thread while the yarn or thread is being unwound comprising a shaft, a plurality of supporting fingers for supporting a cake of synthetic yarn, mounting means for pivotally mounting said fingers around said shaft, said means comprising a disc positioned on `said shaft, said disc having a radially extending circumferentially disposed slot formed therein, said disc also having radially extending transverse grooves formed therein cutting across said slot and spaced equidistant around the circumference of said dise, different ones of said fingers being positioned in different ones of said grooves, pivot pins on said fingers loosely fitted into said slot so that said fingers are movable toward or away from said shaft in their respective grooves, and .pins extending across said slot for engaging said pivot pins to limit the movement of said fingers away from said shaft, an expansible sleeve adapted to be supported by said fingers, inside of the cake of synthetic yarn, and coil springs positioned in radially extending holes formed in said disc between said shaft and said fingers for engaging each of said fingers on one side of said mounting means for tilting all of the corresponding ends of said fingers towards said shaft to facilitate placing the synthetic yarn cake and said expansible sleeve on said fingers and for pressing said fingers and said pivot pins thereof away from said shaft to expand said expansible sleeve snugly into said cake of yarn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,410 Gochik Mar. 18, 1913 1,485,020 Dowdall Feb. 26, 1924 `1,686,102 Peterson Oct. 2, 1928 1,712,059 Trevett May 7, 1929 1,882,950 Rulon Oct. 18, 1932 1,985,026 Epps Dec. 18, 1934 2,034,836 Schenck Nov. 1, 1934 2,382,400 Decker et al. Aug. 14, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 322,932 Great Britain Dec. 19, 1929 313,054 Italy Dec. 5, 1933 

